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The US “could have saved lives” if it had introduced measures to stop Covid-19 earlier, a top health official says.

“If we had, right from the beginning, shut everything down, it may have been a little bit different,” Dr Anthony Fauci told CNN. But he said making that decision was complicated.

The US has over 530,000 virus cases and 21,418 deaths, many in New York.

Dr Fauci also suggested parts of the US could begin returning to normal as early as May.

On 16 March, the Trump administration issued social distancing guidance, which has since been extended through April.

When asked about a New York Times report that Dr Fauci and other officials had suggested aggressive mitigation towards the end of February, Dr…